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7 Things to Consider Before Using Your TV as a Monitor
Using your TV as a monitor for your PC is not an experience everyone would enjoy. So, before you hook up your computer to a TV or move the TV to your desk, consider these important factors first so you don't regret your decision.
Screen Size
The size difference between a typical monitor and a TV is likely why you're considering replacing your monitor with your TV. But, as tempting as the bigger screen seems at first, the gigantic size difference can be quite a headache, especially if you plan to put it on your desk.
A 55-inch TV like the Samsung S90D will probably have such a huge footprint that you won't have enough space on your table for work. Plus, unlike monitors, you can't tilt or swivel TVs. Fortunately, a VESA mount is a great solution for these concerns. Check out our VESA mounting guide to ensure you get the right arm for your TV.
Additionally, if you manage to use your TV on the desk, you will probably be sitting too close to it, which will strain your eyes too. That's because, with a huge TV, you will have to move your eyes side-to-side a lot to look at different areas of the screen.
: Should You Get a 4K Television? (ThioJoe)
We don't recommend using TVs over 48 inches for desk setups, as the experience is far from ideal for most people. If you're looking for a smaller TV for your PC though, consider the 42-inch LG C4 OLED TV.
Screen Resolution
The next vital factor to consider is your TV's resolution. A Full HD 1080p TV on your desk will look worse than a monitor with the same resolution due to the huge difference in screen size. Although both 1080p screens have a total of 2 million pixels, monitors have more pixels per inch due to their smaller size, which makes a big difference to your eyes.
Therefore, if you plan to use a 1080p TV, I hope it's between 32 and 40 inches. Then again, I highly recommend you put it far away on the desk so you don't notice the individual pixels easily.
4K TVs are great options for desk setups as long as they aren't massive. For instance, a 55-inch 4K TV like the Sony Bravia A95L has a pixel density of 80 pixels per inch. That's almost the same pixel density as a 27-inch 1080p monitor (81.59 PPI).
Once again, the smaller your TV is and the higher its resolution, the better it'd serve as your computer's monitor. A 42-inch TV like the LG C4 or the Sony Bravia A90K hits the sweet spot, boasting 104 pixels per inch. That's just shy of a 27-inch 1440p monitor (108 PPI).
Input Lag
As the name suggests, input lag is the time it takes to display any movement on the screen, which you've registered using a mouse or keyboard. When you physically move your mouse, the time it takes to move for the cursor on your screen to follow your mouse movement is input lag.
Most TVs have 20 to 30 milliseconds of input lag, whereas most regular PC monitors usually have less than five milliseconds. If your TV is equipped with a gaming mode, you can expect the input lag to be in the single digits, but most gaming monitors have an even lower input lag of 1 to 2 milliseconds.
It's worth noting that some high-end TVs today can come close to matching the input lag of monitors. For example, the Samsung S90 QD-OLED TV registered an input lag of 4.8ms at 4K/144Hz when RTINGS tested it.
Although 20 milliseconds doesn't seem like a lot, if you plan to use your TV monitor for gaming, you need the input lag to be as low as possible. So, using your TV as a monitor might not be a good option if you play online multiplayer games regularly.
Response Time
Response time refers to the time it takes for each pixel on the panel to change its colors. Since most TV screens are made for movies and videos, they prioritize better image quality with higher contrast and richer colors. However, all this image processing leads to a higher response time.
Dedicated PC monitors are usually more inclined toward providing a sharper image and don't need too much processing, resulting in a significantly lower response time.
On average, if a TV screen has a response time of about 15ms, its monitor counterpart will have a 5ms response time. A higher response time can make it difficult to play competitive games, leading to motion blur and a visual phenomenon called "ghosting."
It's worth noting that this point mostly applies to LCD, LED, and mini-LED TVs. If you have an OLED TV, consider yourself lucky because they have near-instant response times (0.1-0.2ms). It's one of the pros of buying an OLED TV.
Refresh Rate
The term "Refresh rate" refers to the number of times a display updates to show a new frame or image in a second. A standard TV has a 60Hz refresh rate, meaning it can show 60 frames in one second.
On the other hand, gaming monitors generally have a 144Hz refresh rate, with some models going as high as 540Hz, like the Asus ROG Swift PG248QP. At higher refresh rates, anything that moves on the screen appears significantly smoother.
Several modern TVs offer higher refresh rates too. In fact, all the TVs we've recommended so far in this article support a 120Hz refresh rate. The LG G4 OLED TV, for example, supports up to 144Hz.
Display refresh rates matter a lot in gaming, especially if you play competitive games. You will immediately feel a difference in smoothness if you switch from a 144Hz monitor to a 60Hz TV; the game will feel choppier and less responsive.
Color Compression
Chroma subsampling is a technique used to compress the size of an image. In most TVs, you won't see any difference in image quality. However, if your TV has 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, you will notice that the text appears smudged when looked at closely.
Before using your TV as a monitor, make sure your TV can be switched to 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, or at the very least, to 4:2:2. This way, the inferior image quality will be negligible, and you can still read texts properly.
Color Accuracy
While image processing makes movies and videos look good on screen, the colors you see aren't always accurate, at least on your average LCD TV. Monitors generally tend to be more color accurate because they don't sacrifice accuracy for vibrance to make images pop.
However, modern TVs with mini-LED and OLED panels can outperform most monitors in the color accuracy department. So, it all comes down to what monitor and TV you currently have.
If you plan to edit photos and videos or do color grading work, it's worth using a high-end TV from Sony, Samsung, or LG, as these companies are renowned for making some of the most color-accurate TVs on the market.
As you can see, a TV may not be a good fit on everyone's desk. Unless you have a mini-LED or OLED TV with all the bells and whistles of a high-end monitor, I wouldn't recommend using it for anything besides watching movies or videos.
For gaming, it's mostly always better to use a monitor as it's faster and more responsive. But if you like having a bigger display for your computer, consider building a multiple-monitor setup. It not only looks good but is also quite practical for multitasking.